“I’ve had psoriasis on my scalp since I was 15 and I’m 34 now. I’m an insulin-dependent diabetic and at one of my hospital check-ups, the doctor looked at my scalp, because I kept scratching, and he diagnosed it.” Laura’s psoriasis presents behind her ears and down to the nape of her neck. “It was flaky and itchy. If I was stressed or anxious it got worse.”

Like many people who experience psoriasis or eczema, Laura has trialled a variety of products in an effort to ease her symptoms. “Over the years, I was prescribed loads of different topical treatments, they were extremely harsh on the skin, it felt like your scalp was on fire.You wouldn’t be inclined to do it very often. I found the smell horrible and the sensation on my scalp was horrible. The medicated shampoos used to make my hair dry and coarse.”

She turned to alternative options for relief. “I’d read about things like epsom salts, coconut oil and emulsifiers on the scalp but I’d have to wash my hair five or six times to get it all out. By the time I finish washing it, the psoriasis would be back as thick as it was before I started, so it was a vicious cycle.” These efforts cost her time and money. “I tried a Chinese herbalist. You boil herbs, soak a flannel in the water and soak your head in it. I was paying about €150 every two weeks. It wasn’t something I could maintain long-term.”

Working in pharmacies offered Laura the chance to try products as they arrived in store. She was aware that emollients can help, and that very mild psoriasis may settle with emollients alone, while those with keratolytic agents like urea or salicylic acid can help reduce the scaling. “I’d try everything new. I was getting sick of buying stuff because none of them were making much of a difference. When the RELIFE brand first launched, I used the Relizema ultra hydrating lotion as, being a diabetic, my skin is drier. The RELIFE representative asked if I’d like to try the U-Life range.

“When you try so many things, you hope, this could be the one. I used the U-Life 10 Ecofoam for the scalp over the course of a week on the affected areas and I was impressed. Before, if I used a product and found relief from it, the minute I washed my hair, the psoriasis would go back to where it was. I noticed with this, the psoriasis didn’t go back to the same thickness. When my psoriasis is really bad, it is as thick as a 20 or 50 cent coin.” 

The ecofoam’s light texture appeals to Laura. “You can put it on your scalp and your hair doesn’t look greasy or tacky. That made me more inclined to use it, and there’s no big effort to get it out of your hair. I washed and dried my hair and was waiting to feel the psoriasis as thick as normal and it wasn’t. I showed my mam and she had never seen my skin that clear. I was well impressed. I’m not one of these people to say it’s brilliant unless I think it’s made a difference. I’ve been using it for two weeks. If it’s done this in a week, what’s it going to be like in a month or two months?”

The ecofoam has helped to keep her dry and flaky skin at bay all year round. “Even in the heat when I am washing my hair more, it’s still not triggering it. There is a small film of it on my scalp but in comparison to the thickness that was there, I am impressed.” 

Unlike the lotions she has used in the past, applying the ecofoam allows for a more gentle touch. “If you have psoriasis, you have to rub cream in the one direction, and that can be very hard when you are putting something on your scalp. I squeeze the ecofoam into my hand, put it on to my scalp and it dissolves. I don’t tend to rub and if I’m not rubbing, I’m not aggravating it as much. It’s really handy.”

The U-Life range is free from fragrance which is a big plus for Laura. “There's no smell, there is nothing unpleasant about using it. If you have a condition that can be aggravated so easily, the last thing you want is something with fragrance that can trigger it.”

There are other positives, too. “I’m not knocking white flakes off my clothes as much. Working in my last two jobs, I had to wear a black top so you’re constantly watching to see, am I flaking. That is very frustrating.

“For years I cut my hair, because if it was shorter there wasn’t as much heat around the psoriasis so it would be easier to treat. At the moment I can tie it in a ponytail, this is the first time in over ten years my hair is this length and I’m not paranoid to tie it up because it’s not as obvious what’s on the back of my scalp.”

The warmer days would usually cause further dry skin for Laura, but not now that she is using the U-Life 10 ecofoam. “A couple of summers ago, I was in Bulgaria with my partner for two weeks and he said he had never seen my psoriasis as bad, it was horrific. I’ve been sitting out in the sun and I haven’t noticed it any worse.”

Laura is quick to respond when asked if she would recommend the brand. “Absolutely. Working in pharmacies, I could never sell something to a customer if I didn’t truly use it, or believe in it or like the product. I’d hate to send someone home with something that didn’t work. I enjoyed recommending the RELIFE brand because I noticed so many people, from little children to teenagers to adults, who were suffering from eczema or psoriasis or dry skin. One gentleman I spoke to, I gave him samples for his toddler and he came back the next day and said, ‘The relief I noticed in my child in one day, I have to buy it.’ I was confident recommending the product because I had tried it and I had given samples to people in that environment who had tried it and loved it.”